Chris Sutton Looking for Stage Wins in Oman Tour

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Chris Sutton of Team Sky wants more stage wins after getting one in the 2010 Tour Down Under, and he is looking to grab his share in the upcoming Tour of Oman next week.

The tour, which will start this February 14, will provide another opportunity for Sutton to show his skills and get some wins for his team. He’ll be one of the protected riders of Team Sky in the event, but Sutton says that he’s also ready and willing to do whatever is asked of him and play a supporting role for another sprinter on the team if he needs to.

Sutton’s confidence is apparently born out of a string of successes from the last several months. He had won a stage and grabbed the second place overall at the Tour of Britain, won three stages and also finished second at the Herald Sun Tour, and winning the Overall Bay Classic Series.

And that was before he signed on for Team Sky. So far, his stint with his new team has resulted in a second place finish at the Cancer Council Helpline Classic and getting the final stage win at the 2010 Tour Down Under.

The Australian rider will be working together with Sky teammate Edvald Boasson Hagen, but says that he is going to “step up and take the sprinter’s role” if Hagen cannot deliver. Sutton adds that the racing strategy for the event will be discussed with director Steven de Jongh, who is currently in Qatar, in order to come up with the best course of action for the team in Oman.

After the Tour of Oman, Sutton will be seeing action at the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad and Kuurne-Bruxelles-Kuurne, both Belgian events, in line with his preparation for the Classics in April, where he is expecting to be called upon to support teammates Hayman, Flecha, and Hagen.